A Heartbeat Away
Page 29
It is not my love of writing or a passion for story (although I am passionate about those).
It is not my love of surgery (although that too is a passion of mine).
My greatest passion and motivation is to see Christ treasured in the hearts of all people. That may sound like an impossible goal to get a handle on, but I believe it is helpful to understand the target and how my work may or may not fit.
To this end, I believe medicine (and surgery in particular) is a wonderful field of God-sent opportunities: people come to surgeons when they are in crisis. And these crises create a situation where people finally start asking the right questions about eternity. Many of these people would never seek out a pastor; but, by necessity, they find themselves in my office. And there, with permission, we hope to offer compassion, prayer, and the science and art of healing surgery. Here in Kenya, I practice in a mission-hospital setting, and many of the patients come face-to-face with the gospel during their hospital stays. It may be a word from a physician, a nurse, the woman who mops the floor, or a chaplain, but my prayer is that everyone has an opportunity to hear the greatest news ever!
This same philosophy guides my writing. A novel is way too long of a project to write simply for entertainment. Don’t hear me wrong! I think entertainment is important; if I can’t capture and entertain, no reader will hang in there to the end. But in the process, I hope that a small message of hope, faith, or grace is absorbed. My desire is that Kraus fiction will nudge people closer to a life where Jesus is treasured. To that end, I desire my protagonists to be real: people with problems. Not all of my protagonists are Christians; many, like Tori in this book, find faith as a result of the conflicts they face. When I write about a Christian character, it is important to me to show them as real people with real-life issues. Christians struggle with doubt, Christians have pain, Christians are tempted, Christians fall, get angry, and struggle with materialism and lust. So, if you are reading Kraus fiction, expect a transparent look into real life. You won’t see a rose-petal-strewn pathway for the Christians in my novels. That’s just not reality.
I hope that if we ever have any real face time together, you will see the same kind of transparency in my life. I’m a Christ follower, but I am a ragamuffin. I sin, and I don’t like wearing masks that say “I’ve got it all together.” Lots of folks like to put authors, surgeons, and missionaries on pedestals; so you understand, some people have a way of putting me in an elevated place where I don’t deserve to stand. When I look down, I’d better be standing on a pedestal of grace, or I’m setting myself up for a fall. I sincerely believe that the world doesn’t need more perfect Christians; the world needs transparency! Christians who are willing to say “I haven’t got it all together, but I’m holding the hand (actually, I’m engraved on it!) of God, who does.”
More from Harry
Fiction:
The Six-Liter Club
Salty Like Blood
Perfect
The Claire McCall Series:
Could I Have This Dance?
For the Rest of My Life
All I’ll Ever Need
Serenity
The Chairman
The Stain
Lethal Mercy
Fated Genes
Stainless Steal Hearts
Middle School/Young Adult:
A Zebra Tale
Inspirational Nonfiction:
Domesticated Jesus
The Cure: The Divine Prescription for the Body of Christ—Life-changing Love
Breathing Grace: What You Need More Than Your Next Breath
A HEARTBEAT AWAY
Published by David C Cook
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Colorado Springs, CO 80918 U.S.A.
David C Cook Distribution Canada
55 Woodslee Avenue, Paris, Ontario, Canada N3L 3E5
David C Cook U.K., Kingsway Communications
Eastbourne, East Sussex BN23 6NT, England
The graphic circle C logo is a registered trademark of David C Cook.
All rights reserved. No part of this ebook may be reproduced, scanned, resold, or distributed by or through any print or electronic medium without written permission from the publisher. This ebook is licensed solely for the personal and noncommercial use of the original authorized purchaser, subject to the terms of use under which it was purchased. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.
This story is a work of fiction. Characters and events are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is coincidental.
The Scripture quotation in the epigraph is taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Other Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com; and THE MESSAGE. Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
LCCN 2012941318
ISBN 978-1-4347-0257-9
eISBN 978-1-4347-0511-2
© 2012 Harry Kraus
Published in association with Natasha Kern Literary Agency, PO Box 1069, White Salmon, WA 98672.
The Team: Don Pape, Dave Lambert, Amy Konyndyk, Jack Campbell, Karen Athen
Cover Design: Nick Lee
Cover Photos: iStockphoto (couple); Shutterstock (eye); stock.xchng (fire)
Printed in the United States of America
First Edition 2012
What people are saying about …
A Heartbeat Away
“A transplanted heart comes with a double dose of nightmares for its recipient and is the catalyst for danger, romance, and lives forever changed. Riveting and poignant with breath-catching twists, surgeon Harry Kraus offers masterful storytelling and ‘grace from the cutting edge.’ A perfectly prescribed read!”
Candace Calvert, author of ECPA best seller Code Triage and Trauma Plan
“A Heartbeat Away is a medical thriller brimming with suspense, mind-blowing twists, romance, and a spiritual message that reaches deep into the soul. Harry Kraus has masterfully crafted another dynamic story. Highly recommended!”
Mark Mynheir, retired homicide detective and author of The Corruptible
“An intriguing, fast-paced, compelling story that had me glued to the pages and raises the question, can we pass along the essence of who we are? Can you change someone’s eternity from beyond the grave? Fascinating medical questions with a riveting plot. Highly recommended!”
Susan May Warren, award-winning, best-selling author of You Don’t Know Me
“Harry Kraus knows how to put a reader’s heart through the ringer. Fast-paced, suspenseful, and emotional, A Heartbeat Away kept me reading late into the night, eager to know where Tori Taylor’s new heart would lead her. This one’s a keeper!”
Robin Lee Hatcher, best-selling author of Heart of Gold and Betrayal
“Writing with the authority of a physician, Harry Kraus takes us inside the world of medicine to meet a surgeon who needs a heart transplant … in more ways than one. This is, without a doubt, Dr. Kraus’s best novel yet.”
Richard L. Mabry, MD, author of Lethal Remedy and the Prescription for Trouble Series
“Harry Kraus is as skilled with a pen as he is with a scalpel. A Heartbeat Away is a compelling, page-turning story that surprised me at every turn. And it is ultimately a beautiful picture of the depths of the human heart when God is allowed to reside there.”
Deborah Raney, author of Beneath a Southern Sky and the Hanover Falls Novels
“I don’t normally read medical suspense novels. But I read this one. And once I started, I couldn’t stop. A Heartbeat Away is a great read. It has everything I want in a book. And it’s based on a premise I’ve never heard of and found utterly fascinating. Do yourself a favor, get this book!”
Dan Walsh, best-selling and award-winning author of The Unfinished Gift, Remembering Christmas, and The Discovery
Photo by Kristine Kraus
HARRY KRAUS, MD, is a board-certified surgeon, medical missionary to East Africa, and an accomplished writer of both nonfiction and fiction. Medical realism and gripping plotlines distinguish his writing, as he gets most of his ideas with a scalpel in hand. Dr. Kraus resides in Kenya with his wife, Kris, and the youngest of their three sons.
www.davidccook.com